Try This Handy Fabric Roll Calculator

If you’re tired of having to undo rolls of fabric to determine how many yards are left, then check out this great online calculator by Handy Math. Simply enter three easy-to-get figures and it’ll tell you how much material is on a roll without you having to measure it all by hand.

I recently tested the calculator for accuracy on a brand new roll of vinyl with exactly 11 yards on it. As requested by the calculator, I plugged in (1) the outside diameter of the roll, (2) the diameter of the center hole, and (3) the thickness of the material. To get these figures, I used digital calipers.

On the first try, it calculated that the roll had a little over 11 yards of vinyl. I tested the calculator a few more times on various rolls in my auto upholstery shop and found that it was always within a half yard of the correct measurement. I got the best results when I entered my figures in millimeters.

The calculator never rendered the exact measurement, but that’s understandable. After all, the rolls and the inner holes aren’t always perfect circles. Also, I was using a cheap pair of Harbor Fright calipers as opposed to high-quality ones.

Nonetheless, I was impressed. This handy calculator is accurate enough to help out around the shop — especially when double-checking a supplier’s shipment or making sure you have enough material to finish a job.

Best of all, the calculator is available in two handy smartphone formats that you can keep open on your phone’s browser. Click here to try it out.